Hair straightening or hair relaxing products have been commercially available for over fifty years for people who want straighter, more manageable hair. Most commercially available hair relaxers are composed of a strong hydroxide base that has been found to compromise the quality of hair.
Commercial products based only on alkaline metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and lithium hydroxide are typically used to straighten or relax curly hair. There are primarily four different types of hydroxide-containing hair straighteners: sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, and guanidine hydroxide. The straightening product is usually applied quickly and can only remain in the hair for a very limited amount of time. Due to the alkalinity of such products, if the product is not rinsed from the hair at the appropriate time, damage to the hair can occur, as well as chemical burns to the scalp and areas surrounding the hair.
Thus, the objective of the present invention is to provide a hair straightening or relaxing process which is safer than, yet as effective as, conventional processes.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a hair straightening or relaxing composition and a process that provides desirable and permanent/long-lasting hair straightening effects in a short period of application time.